Posted on 11/27/2010 7:17:28 AM PST by SumProVita
From the right-wing extremists at the Washington Post:
Want an appointment with kidney specialist Adam Weinstein of Easton, Md.? If you’re a senior covered by Medicare, the wait is eight weeks.
How about a checkup from geriatric specialist Michael Trahos? Expect to see him every six months: The Alexandria-based doctor has been limiting most of his Medicare patients to twice yearly rather than the quarterly checkups he considers ideal for the elderly. Still, at least he’ll see you. Top-ranked primary care doctor Linda Yau is one of three physicians with the District’s Foxhall Internists group who recently announced they will no longer be accepting Medicare patients.
“It’s not easy. But you realize you either do this or you don’t stay in business,” she said.
Recall that these steep cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates are the way in which the Obama administration was able to claim that a) Obamacare cost less than a trillion dollars and b) it would bend the cost curve. In fact, the administration now has a stark choice between instituting the “doc fix” which would rescind the Medicare cuts or welcoming in the era of decreased access and rationing via long wait times. They don’t have long. The rate cuts to Medicare reimbursement are set to begin December 1st.
(Excerpt) Read more at verumserum.com ...
HA! Did you get paid?
I remember my boss taking money out of his wallet for payments.
Yes, he always paid. He was a doctor, not a lawyer. Doctors pay, lawyers are a different story. I didn’t do work for lawyers unless I knew them personally.
It’s going to be difficult to pay cash for a mammogram or a colonoscopy. They are being rationed. The plan is for no mammograms until age 50 and no colonoscopies over the age of 70 and that may change to 65.
Sneaking somebody in at 11pm for a procedure won’t be easy and what physician will risk it with no malpractice insurance. Won’t be impossible though. I know a neurosurgeon who sedated his labrador and did a mylogram at midnight in MGH! Many many years ago.
Death Panels will be next and then people ordered by Big Brother to Hospice Centers instead of getting care. Do you think they will name it The Obama/Reid/Pelosi Auschwitz Center?
I once read an article about a lawyer buying a new house in CA. When the developer found out his chosen profession, he backed out of the deal, saying he refuses to sell homes to lawyers.
The various experts called by the columnist all agreed that the lawyer had no recourse. You cant discriminate based on age, sex, race, and the like, but you sure can on occupation.
Has any disabled veteran younger than 50, been informed that they no longer will be getting medical coverage through the Veterans Administration. i live on disabled military benefits and i do work. But I have service related injuries and I have received a letter telling me that the VA will no longer provide my care and I must take medicare. I did refuse the end of life counseling that was required of being a disabled veteran. Just thought to ask if some others have received this letter. I have a couple of attorney friends and medical doctors whom are trying to get to the bottom of what is going on. No insurance will cover me because of the severity of the injuries rceived while in service.
Here I am preparing for another cervical neck surgery and the appointment is next month. Years ago injured in the Marine Barracks Bombing in Lebanon, I have undergone one cervical vertebrae replaced in May 2010 and now have to have three more replaced. Without the replacement of cervical vertebrae 2-3 I will have to go on a ventilator. What a bunch of BS.
Our backup health plan is to go to Ram I hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is a “for profit” hospital. Impractical and of no use in critical cases? Yes, but faced with a seven month wait for an internal medicine Dr in USA, we went there and took care of a problem that wouldn’t wait. Now we do go to Thailand every year for several months so our solution is not available to most but we know several people w who live there because of socialized medicine in Europe.
obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, retired Military, disabled & Seniors
Nor will Medicare allow you to ‘upgrade’ a procedure at your own expense for the ‘extra’. Cataract implants are plain through Medicare...they do not correct the astigmatisim so many of us have. Medicare will pay for 1 trifocal (NO PROGRESSIVE) lens for you eye glasses.
About 40% of doctors no longer take Medicare. That percentage will grow once obamanationcare takes full effect. The “doc fix’ runs out Dec 31, beginning Jan 1 the new round of cuts 10% @ year for the next 3 yrs under obamanationcare. With a 53% reimbursement cut not many doctors will want to take Medicare patients. And Geriatrics is the lowest reimbursed of all medical fields according to the news.
There is also talk of merging Tricare for Life which is a benefit for over 65 retired Military with Medicare. They are both admined out of the same agency. Medicare is not a benefit, where as Tricare for Life (TFL)is. It serves as the secondary medical ins for retired Military who are on Medicare.
My internist is retiring for these reasons.
The list, ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
>>The physicians cannot accept cash from those patients. If they do they will be fined. Second offense means prison. Nice, huh?<<
Only if they are medicare providers.
Just as it was designed to do. Eliminate as many as possible via no care.
Our primary care doc, and he has no partners, is retiring rather than practice under obamanationcare.
Obama’s WAR ON SENIORS
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2613747/posts?page=3
“I’ll be eligible for Medicare next year.”
You are in for a rude awakening as to just how royally screwed you will soon be.
There is no more real “private insurance” for you, at least as you are aware of up to this point in your life. The only insurance you are allowed is Supplemental Insurance up to the low Medicare approved rates.
“Our primary care doc, and he has no partners, is retiring rather than practice under obamanationcare.”
My former primary care doc retired about two years ago. I know for a fact that he and his wife (a PA) did not want to be dictated to a faceless, souless and clueless government bureacracy. In view of all the crapola that is going on, I bet he’s thoroughly enjoying his retirement.
Went to make a new patient appointment with hubby’s ortho guy...got told that my ‘disability’ Medicare was not accepted by their office. Called Sen. Corker’s office again (first called about sb 510)...there is NO difference between disability Medicare or over 65 Medicare...it was the doc’s way of saying they are NOT taking NEW Medicare patients. Hit Sen Alexander’s office too...of course the person who handles Medicare was not available...did I want to leave a voice mail...my reply WE never get return calls...call handler asks if I want a written explanation I said yes on a 12th grade level sans legal double speak goop.
Don’t know if I’ve torn something or it is fibromyalgia or OA related, but the pain is sudden and excruciating when I lift the arm above my shoulder height.
A lot more will be in for wake up calls when they go to make new patient appointments. I made sure Corker’s office knew I was quite upset about being turned down...I don’t blame the doc...it’s obamanationcare in progress.
But that doesn’t help treat a new health condition...I’ve monitored it for a month, and it is NOT going away.
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